STREAM is an instrument for
river basin studies with emphasis on management aspects. It can be used to
assess the present water availability in the basin and compare these to
future demands of water resources. It furthermore enables the analysis of
water resource related 'issues and processes' in a river basin by
identifying the key interrelated water resource issues.
STREAM is built around a spatial distributed hydrological model for
simulating the water balance in larger river basins. Current modules
comprise saltwater intrusion in the delta, an ecological module for mangrove
habitats and socio-economic scenario development. This GIS based model
allows for the analysis of vulnerability to exogenous influences like
climate change and human interventions such as de- and afforestation,
irrigation and dredging.
STREAM is used to assess the impacts of these changes on the natural
resources of the basin and the use of these resources by the population
within the basin. STREAM enables rapid water resources assessment and is
designed to be applied on any river basin.

Results

STREAM is currently
being used in Bangladesh and India for analysis of climate change
scenarios and saltwater intrusion issues in the delta such as Mangrove
habitat suitability studies in the Sundarbans, Fish and shrimp
productivity, Drinking water suitability.